Gold Fields Limited (NYSE:GFI) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Gold Fields Limited (NYSE:GFI) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,270,000 shares, a decrease of 45.1% from the March 15th total of 9,600,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,580,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Gold Fields Trading Up 6.8 %

Shares of GFI opened at $25.49 on Wednesday. Gold Fields has a 12-month low of $12.98 and a 12-month high of $25.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $20.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.92.

Gold Fields Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.3752 dividend. This is a boost from Gold Fields’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. Gold Fields’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gold Fields

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Gold Fields in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,914,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Gold Fields by 105.7% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 180,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,997,000 after acquiring an additional 92,966 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Gold Fields by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Gold Fields by 52.3% in the first quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 88,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,962,000 after buying an additional 30,485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new position in Gold Fields in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,096,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GFI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Gold Fields from $17.10 to $18.80 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Gold Fields from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Gold Fields from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.95.

Gold Fields Company Profile

Gold Fields Limited operates as a gold producer with reserves and resources in Chile, South Africa, Ghana, Canada, Australia, and Peru. It also explores for copper and silver deposits. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Sandton, South Africa.